Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro denounced Wednesday a plan directed by the former president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, to enter the country with mercenaries in order to assassinate the head of state and commit other violent acts to destabilize the nation.
Maduro said he has received intelligence information that indicated that the ex-leader of Colombia and right-wing political figure is trying to carry out his killing in collaboration with the current ambassador of Colombia in the United States, along with Venezuelan ultra-right leaders.
“I have learned of a plan directed by Alvaro Uribe Velez with the participation of the Colombian ambassador to the United States, Franciscano Santos, who has discussed with Lester Toledo, a fugitive from Venezuelan justice, to enter Venezuela (with) 32 mercenaries to try to assassinate me and other leaders of the revolution,” said Maduro from the presidential palace in Caracas. Maduro says that Uribe, who has strong links to extra-judicial killings and the narco-arms trade in his own country, was concocting this plan from his home in Antioquia.
The president said that Venezuela will overcome all violent and mercenary plans. The claim comes days after seven Colombian paramilitaries were captured by Venezuela on the border between the two countries. The paramilitaries were found with firearms, ammunition, vehicles and communication devices. The arrests took place in the western state of Tachira and was a part of the governments Simon Bolívar Liberation Campaign.
Since July 24 alone, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) of Venezuela have arrested 49 Colombian paramilitaries in their territory and seized almost 3,000 kilos of drugs.
Current Colombian President Ivan Duque, who many say is the puppet of Uribe, has also participated indirectly destabilizing Venezuela by taking part in the failed U.S. ‘aid’ mission to bring in truckloads of supplies from Cucuta, Colombia into Venezuela.
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